Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket landed its booster on a barge at sea, on its second operational launch. That efficiency matters: reusable boosters are how SpaceX has driven down launch costs, and now a competing company has proven it can do the same.
The Conversation
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket landed its booster on a barge at sea – an achievement that will broaden the commercial spaceflight market
Jeff Bezos’s aerospace company Blue Origin is now the second, after SpaceX, to land a rocket booster for reuse.
Sherlock Holmes wasn't explicitly autistic, but he had the traits: tunnel vision and hyperfocus on details. Today's detective shows are taking that archetype further – with nuanced characters who are empathetic, have relationships and are played by neurodivergent actors.
The Conversation
The rise of the autistic detective – why neurodivergent minds are at the heart of modern mysteries
New series such as ‘Elsbeth’ and ‘Patience’ continue a long tradition of sleuths who come across as eccentric or aloof. But now there’s a...
NASA launched two small, low-cost spacecraft to Mars in November 2025 to solve a 3-billion-year-old mystery: where did the planet's thick atmosphere go. Two aerospace engineers explain why they are excited about the mission:
The Conversation
NASA goes on an ESCAPADE – twin small, low-cost orbiters will examine Mars’ atmosphere
The twin spacecraft Blue and Gold could open a new era in space exploration and planetary science, powered by commercial partnerships and innovations.
Philosopher Nick Bostrom's 2003 ‘simulation hypothesis’ – the idea that we might be living in a computer-generated world – isn't entirely new. Religious scholars and mystics have considered that all life is an illusion for centuries.
The Conversation
‘Simulation theory’ brings an AI twist out of ‘The Matrix’ to ideas mystics and religious scholars have voiced for centuries
The technology that has helped propel the simulation theory may be new, but the questions it explores are ancient.
Thanksgiving's association with the Pilgrims only solidified around 1900, coinciding with a wave of immigration that alarmed Protestant leaders. The story they promoted emphasized Plymouth's settlers as America's true founders, subtly excluding Catholics, Jews and Indigenous peoples.
The Conversation
How the Plymouth Pilgrims took over Thanksgiving – and who history left behind
In some ways, Thanksgiving is a tradition that unites Americans. But the classic image of the Pilgrims obscures important parts of the country’s ...
Graham Platner, a tattooed veteran and oyster farmer, is getting a lot of Democratic buzz as a challenger to Republican Sen. Susan Collins in Maine. Democrats have tried this before – finding a candidate they think will win back rural voters they've lost for two decades.
The Conversation
Why rural Maine may back Democrat Graham Platner’s populism in the Senate campaign − but not his party
Whether Maine’s Graham Platner wins or loses, his campaign to knock off longtime GOP Sen. Susan Collins already points to a deeper question: Can ...
Despite Trump's rollback of climate policies, major corporations like Walmart are quietly maintaining their environmental commitments. State regulations and global pressure are proving stronger incentives than federal deregulation, explains an economist. #COP30
The Conversation
Global companies are still committing to protect the climate – and they’re investing big money in clean tech
While Trump scraps US climate policies, companies still face pressure from states, other countries and their customers. That pressure trickles down...
The FDA just removed a black box warning from hormone replacement therapy for menopause after decades on the market. A pharmacologist explains what these warnings are, why they matter, and when they change.
The Conversation
What’s a ‘black box’ warning? A pharmacologist explains how these labels protect patients
The drug information sheets that the FDA requires companies to produce are living documents that get updated with new information.
Black and Latino homeowners receive lower appraisals than white homeowners for comparable properties, a disparity that blocks access to mortgages and refinancing, and widens the racial wealth gap.
The Conversation
Black and Latino homeowners in Philly face discrimination when appraisers assess their properties
An unbiased appraisal is key to ensuring that homebuyers and those seeking to refinance a mortgage can do so under fair and equal conditions.
The U.S. government shutdown lasted 43 days – longer than any previous shutdown in history. An economist breaks down the economic toll: $7 billion to $14 billion in lost GDP, plummeting consumer confidence and eroded international trust in American economic leadership.
The Conversation
The shutdown has ended – but this economist isn’t rejoicing quite yet
Billions of dollars have likely been wiped off the US gross domestic product.